Symphonic Chemistry
by Zakhil
Summary: This cover belongs to Sui Ishida, NOT me! This a fanfiction that I've been working on for a contest. Look for Higanbana Cafe on Deviantart to find out more. The challenge was to write a story depicting White Day in Japan. If you liked this story, please go over to Deviantart and show your support for this contest, as well as others who've participated.


Two and a half years have passed since the death of Kaneki Ken, a half human-half ghoul who found himself mixed within a never-ending quarrel between humans and ghouls. Many battles were fought, with casualties on both sides. At the time of its occurrence, you had only seen the aftermath of the battle that would ultimately decide Kaneki's fate as well as that of the cafe he and the ghouls thrived upon. The dismantled building burning in flames - reports of long-standing members of CCG perishing in the line of duty - and the supposed death of what was learned to be the "fake" Owl, along with the extermination of numerous S-rank and higher ghouls; all apart of the web of events that lead to the fall of Anteiku.

But today, none of that mattered.

You get ready for your shift, brushing your teeth and lazily tending to your messy (h/c) hair. As you come out of your room, Touka walks by your door, not withholding the opportunity to peck you on the cheeks adoringly, extracting a smile from her lips and making your heart jolt for a moment.

"Morning." Touka softly, yet sweetly says to you." You reply back in an equally mild tone, "Good morning."

* * *

It feels like it were just yesterday, when you found her by the side of an old torn down building. It rained zealously, and you were just on your way home from the music store. Perhaps it might be more accurate to say she found you first. It's not like you were returning empty-handed, with that rambunctious plastic bag rustling from your fingertips to give away your presence, holding a black umbrella with your other hand to shield from the pelting rain.

But that didn't seem to matter to her. She didn't seem to care about anything. Perhaps she was perfectly content with sulking in the rain, without purpose.

_And what do you do?_

You crouch down to your knees and hand out your umbrella to her, plainly inquiring, "You'll catch a cold if you stay out like this. Hurry on home." She leans to the other side, turning her back against you. Ouch.

"What home? I don't have one. Not anymore."

Her voice sounded drained. She must be hungry, you thought. And cold, hinted by the light shivering of her arms within which she buried her hands. You point to the building she's leaning against. "Was this your home?" After a pause, she confirms with a light nod.

You sigh to yourself. You were already getting a sense for how stubborn she is, what with her scoffing and minimal dialogue. Her violet eyes glance over at you, a hint of shock possessing them. Who wouldn't be surprised at someone taking off their coat and hovering it over them?

"What are you-" Her tempered hiss ceased as you declared, "You're free to sleep out here in the rain, but if you want a place to eat and sleep for the night, my place isn't too far from here." With the icing on the cake, you leave your umbrella with her too, perching it against her back. You walk past her and head home.

_Your plan worked._

An hour had sped by since you talked to the young women sulking in the rain earlier. As you fasten the keys into the door leading to your apartment room, you feel a light tap on your back. There she was, holding out her hand containing both the coat and umbrella you had left with her. "Don't be stupid. I just came to return these." She stomps off toward the stairs. You wasn't about to let this encounter end on a whim.

You hurl your coat over her face, encapturing her like a venus fly trap. She swipes it off and glares at you, her cheeks red with rage.

"What the hell is your deal?"

You cleverly respond, "If you're going back out there in the rain, you might as well take that along with you. Or you could just hang around here where it's dry." You bring out a glowing smile, catching her off-guard. "Whichever works for you!" You open the door to your room and left it open as you went in and dried yourself off.

_"What the hell is he thinking?"_ She thought. Leaving your door open to attract the smell of ghouls. As if you were inviting any to your humble abode to gobble you up. Such excuses weighed in her mind as she approached your doorstep. She lingers innocently by your doorstep, awaiting your permission to allow her in, as if it weren't already sent out. "Come in." You was just getting ready to start up dinner for yourself.

_Act cool._

_Act normal._

The last thing you wanted was to make her feel uncomfortable. It'd be easy to offer her a seat on your bed, but that'd be coming off waaay too strong. You go into the bathroom and grab a large towel, tossing it over to her. "Dry yourself off." You requested of her, to which she silently complied. You notice a look of sorrow in her eyes. You catch her swaying hand in time as she heads for the door. "It's okay. I'm not trying to hurt you."

"Eh," She let out curiously as you unbuttoned your long black shirt. She doesn't quite react the way you expected.

_Then again, what were you expecting?  
_  
"You freaking creep!" She hisses at you scornfully. As prickly as her words were, she stuck around and watched, partly driven by your smell, otherwise by your aptly built chest and accompanying arms. You turn your back against her and sit onto the carpet floor.

"What are you up to?" She asks quietly.

"I did say you could eat here."

She looked puzzled by your answer. You continue on, "That building next to you back there...it was Anteiku, wasn't it?"

She shuts her eyes and nods slowly. "Not that it's any of your damn business, but yeah it is. You must think that everyone who's come from that place is a ghoul, huh?"

"...Are you still hungry?"

"Wha-...what does that have to do with anything?"

"There's a convenience store nearby you could've went to for food."

"Maybe I was in the middle of mourning and couldn't bring myself to eat anything! Ever thought of tha-"

"I lost someone important too. What's your excuse?" She slams the door shut. Didn't see_ that_ coming, did you?

She walks over to you, laying her knees flat on the floor and proceeds to piercingly poke your chest with her fingertips as she gives you a piece of her mind. "Like you'd know how I'm feeling. You think I'm some weak normal girl you can mess around with? I should just eat you up whole and leave nothing behind, like the creep you are."

"Go right ahead. Maybe this will allow me to face _her_ again." She stood there, stunned, gazing into your empty (e/c) eyes that seemed like they were fading. She lowers her eyes mildly, realizing how serious you were.

"...You're just as screwed up as I am, aren't you?" Your eyes expand, bewildered by her sudden smile. After a brief pause, she adds, "We've both...lost someone we cared about, huh? What's my excuse? Heh, hell if I know. Yet here you are, scraping by as much as you can." Touka's hands feather down to the floor beside her hips as her eyes remain fixated on you.

You divert your eyes to spare her the pitiful sight. "My sister...she and I never really got along well. She'd always say how much of a cancer I was to her. That I was just another burden to the world. When it was only her left to take care of me..." You bring your head down in sorrow, both for your sister's death, and also for your part in it. Finally, you say, looking firmly into Touka's eyes, "if I really am insignificant to this world, then I'd rather give my life to someone who needs it."

She grinds her teeth angrily.

"What a load of crap. And you're fine with leaving things like this? Proving your sister right?"

"I'm fine now. I met you."

Touka grows silent, with shock overtaking her eyes and blush blanketing her cheeks mildly.

"Wh-What does that have to do with anything?! I'm just some whiny brat you found on the side of the street..." You put on as bright a smile as you could muster to ease her worries. She looks away, hiding her faint smile, muttering, "Why'd I always get stuck...with the oddest...pe-...pl-"

She falls forward onto you, with her head propped against your shoulder and her hands resting on your chest. Your hands hover over hers, as she moans in an exhausted breath, "...It'll hurt." That didn't seem to faze you, as you confidently reply, "Take as much as you need."

Her hands begin to slowly creep up on you, softly feeling up your stomach and chest before finally landing onto your shoulders. Upon sliding her chin away from your shoulder, you could feel her warm, rushed breath brush upon your skin. You felt it again, only much shakier. She felt your hand resting over hers, rubbing the back of it with your thumb.

"Please, live."

She sinks her teeth into your shoulder. You could feel the scorching sensation, a culmination of both pain and pleasure; the puncturing of her teeth into your flesh, and the warm, wet touch of her tongue flicking against your skin, as if to serve as a prelude to the pain. You're taken further aback when you start feeling a warm liquid roll down your shoulder and through your back.

But none of that mattered.  
You was passing on.  
You felt your consciousness slipping away from you.

You think back to how your sister died. She committed suicide after you told her that you wanted to become a chef...for ghouls. Oh, such a waste of investment! She had spent all these years caring for you, filling your head with the aspiration to become a supermodel. What else was to become of her heart when you relayed your own dreams of something that didn't mirror her own?

She left you alone in this world. But soon, you would find yourself reunited with both her and your mother, forever.

* * *

Or so you thought? Why are you still here, among the living? You pondered endlessly as you awaken. You raise yourself up slightly, when you felt something warm and light weighing you down.

And there she was, laying over your chest, sleeping. You look over to your shoulder, and it was bandaged.

_Did she get enough to eat? You thought hopelessly.  
Did she hold herself back? You worried rampantly.  
Is she going to be okay?! You feared endlessly._

She lets out a loud yawn, massaging your collarbone with her warm, moist breath, before continuing on with her slumber, putting your woes to rest. It brought a genuine smile to your face.

Who'd thought you were still capable of one!

A couple years later, here you two are, now co-operating a new cafe called :re, to replace Anteiku after its destruction. Many things have since changed, particularly between the two of you.

You begin to wonder how much Touka has changed since then; how much does Kaneki still linger in her mind? How much does he continue to persist in her dreams, and more importantly, in her heart? You figure today might provide answers to those teasing questions.

You walk over to the counter, focusing your sight on the sky blue-haired angel before you, tending to the customers swiftly and tenderly. She always gave them a bright, loving smile that enraptured their hearts, deceptive by a ghoul's standards, yet in truth, held every bit the sincerity she's always given to humans.

According to Yomo, she would struggle immensely in order to be accepted among humans, going so far as to eat human food without regurgitating it. You didn't need to be told that, however. You saw these moments yourself when you'd come home to Touka "cooking" dinner for you on occasion, back when re: was still under construction and you two still lived under the constraints of a small apartment room.

Bound by the same bathtub. The same toilet. The same small closet. Even the same bed. At the time, you two lived as friends, respecting each other's space and privacy, most of the time. Who could forget the times when she would _unconsciously _inch over to your side of the bed, even nudging you off it completely...or the time you walked into the apartment to find her air drying? You'd bet that she could hardly think about the time she caught you asleep on the toilet with the door wide open without dropping onto all fours in laughter.

You watched her, proud of her transformation into a beautiful young woman, capable of living among normal humans as if she were among them. It made reality all the more painful for her, when she'd have to turn to you for nourishment, always worrying if she's eating too much, or if a day might come when you might cease to exist. That she wouldn't be comforted by your warm embrace, told how beautiful she is after feasting on your flesh. That she wouldn't be smothered by your light kisses onto her cheeks and lips. She'd always suggest finding other sources of food, but you'd encourage her to keep relying on you. You'd sweet talk her, telling her that you wouldn't let her down...that you'd always be there for her no matter what.

Her constant worries make you wonder if being with her might be beginning to plague her. Your sister looms across your mind without fail when these thoughts begin to fester.

Hours flew by as you both took orders, meticulously making coffee for your guests, as Touka would always say Yoshimura calls them when he was around. Soon enough, you find yourself gazing at her again, only with a noticeably sadder look on your face.

_And of course, she noticed._

As you break from your trance, Touka was no longer where your eyes laid. You feel a light tug on your shirt, startling you noticeably.

"Oh, sorry." She comments regrettably. "Oh...ehehe, don't apologize! I was only daydreaming."

"About what?" She peers deeper.

"I was just thinking about how beautiful you are."

A saddened look overtakes her. Why would you give a look of sorrow over her beauty, she thought.

"...Was it about your sister?"

_Damn it, she was right. _

The truth coiled itself around your esophagus, constricting you from speaking. Silence provided her an answer for you.

"Would it be better...if we broke up?"

Your heart instantly went into a frenzy inside your chest. The thought of her even proposing such a thing caused it to palpitate to no end. Before you could convey your thoughts, more customers enter the cafe. She walks off to serve them when you stop her, holding her hand. She could feel you shivering.

"(y/n)." She calls softly. "I've got it this time." You walk over to serve the customers.

As you're taking the table's order, one customer raises their hand. Before Touka could even take a step you swiftly fill in your order on your notepad and rush over to the other table.

"Napkins, please!" You waltz behind the counter, past Touka, and reach for the napkins on the counter to hand over to the elderly woman at the table.

You walk over to the coffee machine, and intricately grind the coffee beans to be extracted. You pour the water into the machine, just as Touka had shown you. Perfect...or at least to you it was. For a moment, the sound of the coffee filling up the cup brought you a glimpse of relief. Would she break it off with you before she even got to see the gift you had laid on her bed?

Her gaze never left you, seemingly trying to read your heart through your face. You carried on with your duties, trying your hardest to ignore it. You feared for what you might do if you looked into her gleaming eyes. One thing you knew, however, was that you didn't want her words to become reality.

When you hand the lady the napkins, she smiles at you.

"Thank you dear."

You make your way over to the other table, exercising the usual caution so as to not spill the coffee. Upon setting the coffee down the table, more customers arrive.

Great. As if the situation between you two wasn't bad enough, all the customers begin to appear before you as wooden planks to a bridge that just keeps becoming longer between you two. But then again, what the hell did you expect on a Saturday?

You begin to think - about the things she had told you about Kaneki. About how he always observed her; watched over her, yet remaining ever so distant. You shake your head in denial, unable to fathom that you might be slowly doing the same thing. Don't think that you've fooled her. You thought that question she asked you came out of nowhere?

* * *

Think back through three months of history. Before then, you two would sneak into the hidden areas of the campus grounds to catch a few moments of alone time. It was nothing special - just moments of feeding, with some wild kisses snuck in between.

It was during those moments, when you first noticed how gentle her bites were becoming. She started decreasing her portion sizes. The revelation of fear that came from you as a result began there. Her love for you seemed to correlate with her own health, causing her to eat less the more in love with you she became.

Days and weeks went by, and you became more and more careful of her. Her eating habits began to return over time, and other feelings began to occupy her mind. Sadness. Regret. Angst. Rejection, most of all. It didn't help that she ended up theorizing that this had something to do with your sister, who you mentioned to her during your first year of dating.

"Sir? Hello?! Are you okay, sir?!"

Finally, you snap out of your recession of thoughts. Touka grabs your arm, nested tightly against her shirt and apron.

"I'm terribly sorry, gentlemen. If you'll please have a seat over there, me or someone else will surely come over to assist you!"

Moments later, Yomo comes out to take over your shift, while Touka gives you a mouthful in the hallway in the back.

"What is with you?! I don't get you at all. You've been acting strange all day. Just what the hell do you want from me? I can't talk to you if you won't say anything back!"

You remained silent, burrowing evermore into your own darkness.

Finally, she mutters, "Was I not supposed to love you?" She continues on with dreary, tearful eyes. "Is it so wrong for me to love someone who's not a ghoul...who's not Kaneki? For me to want to move on for the first time in my life?"

Her words stunned you, more so than what she said earlier. But that was no excuse this time. You made out what you could say, as incoherent as it was. "U-U-Uh-T-T-...Touka-chan-" She takes your hand and nests it within both of hers, saying to you sweetly, "Say it."

"Touka!" Yomo calls for her, as the cafe begins to build up.

"Remember what I said." Still holding your hand, she yanks it downward, pegging your height down to her size, if only for a moment. She grasps both your cheeks and hands you a tender kiss on the lips. She pulls a few strands of her bang behind her ear, nervously adding, "You...You can tell me things, ya know. I'm right here. With what I do to you everyday, you should at least be able to use me. No, I _want_ you to use me, as much as your heart desires." She then leaves and heads back to her shift.

You're left with a smile on your face, left feeling like a complete idiot.

_Has it become clear now?  
Perhaps this last memory should make it clear to you_

You and a yet college-bound Touka are in your apartment, arguing about the prospect of her remaining in the apartment.

"Why the hell do you keep going on about Kaneki?!" She howls at you, sitting on your bed seemingly unfazed by her irritation."

"I'm saying that I don't care if you stay here or not. As long as you keep yourself healthy, and that you don't forget him."

"Kaneki? Whaddya mean by that? And what does he have to do with this?"

"Just what it means. Surely, it's the same for you. The fact that my sister is dead, and that I had a part to play in it. It's as if I essentially killed her myself. How could I forget about her after that? It's no different from you trying to live up to Kaneki's dream of living a normal school life."

"...Well, it's not like I ever plan to forget about him. Not now, not ever," Touka declares with a pouty face. You respond slyfully, "Wanna bet?"

She looked at you with confusion. "Eh? On what?"

"On who would forget the person they care about sooner. Like, if I forget about my sister before you forget about Kaneki, you have to eat me whole."

Her face immediately reddens up with anger, walking over to you and shaking you up by the collar. "Do I need to bash your brains up or something?! That's a terrible idea!"

Coldly, you add, "Like I said, I don't ever plan on forgetting." She looks down, avoiding your glare for a moment, before returning to them with her answer. "You really don't plan on forgetting?"

"Not a chance in hell."

"Then, if I forget about Kaneki first...I want you to..." She squeezes your collar, as a noticeable look of embarrassment resounds in her face. "...make me yours." The both of you stare each other down with beaming eyes, neither less embarrassed than the other. Eventually, you smile, patting Touka on the head. "Fine. If you forget. Just promise me that you won't."

"Yeah, I promise." She says, with her hands now resting on your chest.

* * *

You're left laughing to yourself, astounded by what's happened.

You head back into the front, replacing Yomo's shift. As Touka comes around the counter, she becomes startled. The vibe you projected before was much different from what she became accustomed to. She watches you closely, as you handle a blazing amount of orders in a swift swoop. For a few more hours, the rest of the day went by much more smoothly than earlier.

It is now closing time.

As Touka kneels down behind the counter to get something, she feels you breathing ticklishly on the back of her neck. Your arms come full circle around her stomach as you kiss her on her scalp. She slouches herself back onto you, smiling up at you.

"Are you feeling better now?...Do I...remind you any less of your sister?"

You reach into her pockets, to her surprise, and pull out a pair of earrings. White bunny-shaped earrings. Her eyes glowed upon them, before glancing at you curiously. "When did you..."

"When you was busy spoiling me." You said with a cheesy smile on your face. It lightens up mildly as you went on. "I had a different reason for giving you these before...but then I remembered what you said...I want you to be mine."

She slides out from under you, planting her hands on your shirt, and her knees nest between your legs. "You remembered...Guess I lost the bet then!"

"You chuckle a moment, relaying to her, "We'll call it a draw...Just as long as you don't leave me."

"Same to you~"

From the floor, behind the counter and facing the door, the two of you could hear Yomo, asking briskly, as he approaches the door, opening it halfway. "Touka-san, are you leaving your clothes all over the place again?" He has a pair of white panties, with a velvet-colored bunny imprinted on the front, and a sky blue-colored bunny on the back.

You both yelled at him in a symphony. "Give those back!" As you both reach for Yomo, he swiftly closes the door shut, and you two tumble over each other onto the floor, each laying on their side, eyes leveled inches apart. Touka couldn't help but laugh.

"What?" You wondered.

"I'm guessing that was another gift of yours. Cute~" Your lips soon drift closer, yet gradually. "I love you, Touka-" She closes the distance between you two, with barely a moment to breathe after you finish. Glancing intimately at your lightly blushing face and confused eyes, she takes in your surprised reaction with a light laugh. The swift motion of her tongue brushing up against yours made your heart race hopelessly.

Finally, she declares softly, "I know you do, and I'm not going anywhere. I love you too!"

おわり～

Thanks for reading (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧


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